Every Saturday

The AI Search Brief

3 AI search shifts that matter. 1 expert opinion. Every Saturday morning. Written by Paul Byrne, with 20 years of search strategy and real visibility data.

3 Things That Matter 1 Expert Opinion 4 Min Read

Join marketing leaders who want to understand what AI search means for their brand, before their competitors do.

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What you get

Every Saturday, in 4 minutes

AI search is moving fast. Most of the noise doesn't matter. This newsletter filters it down to what does, with analysis you won't get anywhere else.

3 things that matter

The AI search shifts from the week that actually affect your brand. Not a links roundup, each one comes with my analysis of what it means and what to do about it.

My opinion

One take you won't read elsewhere. Informed by 20 years in search strategy (MediaCom, Google, TripAdvisor) and real data from our AI visibility platform.

Quick links

The best articles, studies, and data from the week, curated so you don't have to follow 20 sources. One line each, no filler.

One thing I'm watching

The developing story that could reshape AI search next. Early signal detection so you're prepared before the industry catches up.

Sneak peek

What an issue looks like

1

Google's AI Mode is citing itself more than any other site

17.4% of all AI Mode citations now point to Google's own properties, up 3x in nine months. What this means for the remaining 80% of the playing field.

2

A roofer got cited by Claude in under a week

Local businesses are earning AI citations within days using structured content. The barrier to AI visibility is lower than most people think.

3

HBR says LLMs are overtaking search

When Harvard Business Review publishes on your discipline, it's mainstream. The "wait and see" window is closing.

My opinion

Every model update is a reset button

GPT-5.4 cites brand websites 56% of the time, up from 8% in GPT-5.3. Your visibility can change overnight.

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Who reads this

This newsletter is for you if...

You're in marketing leadership and your organic traffic is declining, but you're not sure what to do about AI search yet.

You need to make the case internally for AI search optimisation, and you need data and examples to back it up.

You're an SEO or content lead watching the ground shift and want to stay ahead without reading 20 sources a week.

You run an agency and your clients are starting to ask about AI search. You need a trusted source to stay informed.

PB

Written by Paul Byrne

Founder, SearchIntel

20 years in search strategy. Started at Google, led practices at MediaCom (Adidas, Shell, Coca-Cola) and IPG Mediabrands (LEGO), client-side at TripAdvisor/Viator. Now helping brands work through the shift from search to answers.

Every week I run hundreds of AI queries through our monitoring platform and write about what I find. This newsletter is where that intelligence lands first.

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The AI Search Brief lands every Saturday morning. Free forever.

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